Housing: Standards

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have received Level 6 Code for Sustainable Homes certification.

Ian Austin: Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes (the Code) is a zero carbon home with very high sustainability standards and is an incredibly high standard to build to. However, we now have a growing number of homes been built to this higher level of the Code.
	It takes between 18 months and two years to design and build a Code home. The Code came into operation in April 2007, but we did not start seeing homes built to the Code standard until late 2008. The number of Code homes are increasing every month. At the end of December 2009, there were a total of 2,434 homes with Code certificates spread across all Code levels at post-construction stage (i.e. completed Code homes), 10,319 at design stage and over 300,000 registered homes on over 3,000 developments. Most of these homes are built to Code level 3-which represents for energy a 25 per cent. improvement on the current building regulations and is a demanding building standard. Homes funded by the Homes and Communities Agency are required to meet Code level 3 standard.
	There are two stages in the assessment process for the Code and 110 homes have been certified.

Natural Gas: Storage

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received on the recent decision by Lancashire county council to refuse planning permission for a proposed facility for further gas storage capability in that area.

Ian Austin: I understand that there have been no recent decisions made by Lancashire county council in respect of planning applications for gas storage. However a planning application was made by Canatxx Gas Storage Ltd. for the creation of an underground gas storage facility in Preesall, Wyre, on 20 February 2009, and it is expected to be determined by the county council on 27 January 2010.
	To date, no representations have been received by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in respect of this planning application.